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Danish Coffee Cake Recipe

My mother gave me this recipe when I was a teenager - it's something I treasure as a childhood memory. She made this tender, flaky pastry as part of a special breakfast on Sundays or holidays.
I often bring these easy-to-fix pastries to ladies' meetings. They can't believe how good they taste with relatively few ingredients.
-Lee Deneau, Lansing, Michigan

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. Bake: 30 min. + coolingYIELD:18 servings

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 cup cold butter, divided

2 tablespoons plus 1 cup water, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

ICING:

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1.Place 1 cup flour in a large bowl, cut 1/2 cup butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water; toss with a fork until mixture forms a ball. Divide into thirds. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a 9-in. x 6-in. rectangle. Place on greased baking sheets; set aside.

2. In a saucepan, bring salt and remaining butter and water to a boil. Add remaining flour all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny.

3. Spread over the dough. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.